Topologically optimized component design

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12437127-B2
Application number	US-202217706435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2022
Priority date	Mar 30, 2021
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A method for topologically optimized component design is disclosed. The method receives at least one application parameter for a component and at least one specification for the component. The at least one application parameter and the at least one specification are utilized to generate a topologically optimized component design from at least one material.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A method for topologically optimized component design, said method comprising:
receiving at least one application parameter for a component from a group consisting of: a travel, a wheel size, a bike type, a weight target, and a stiffness target;
receiving at least one specification for said component from a group consisting of: an allowable space, a clearance to other parts, a clearance to a vehicle model, and a clearance to a tire model;
receiving at least one engineering metric for said component, said at least one engineering metric from a group consisting of: a material type, a manufacturing type, a maximum weight, a minimum or maximum stiffness, and a stress threshold; and utilizing said at least one application parameter, said at least one specification, and said at least one engineering metric to generate a topologically optimized component design from at least one material;
utilizing said at least one application parameter and said at least one specification to generate a topologically optimized component design from at least one material;
evaluating said topologically optimized component design for manufacturability;
performing an industrial design modification to obtain a manufacturable topologically optimized component design when said evaluation for manufacturability results in said topologically optimized component design being unmanufacturable or otherwise overly constrained by available manufacturing processes;
performing a finite element analysis (FEA) on said manufacturable topologically optimized component design;
performing a plurality of iterations through said industrial design modification and said FEA until an acceptable modified topologically optimized component design is achieved;
generating a manufacturing process for said acceptable modified topologically optimized component design; and
utilizing an additive process and a subtractive process to physically generate said topologically optimized component design based on the acceptable modified topologically optimized component design.

2. The method of Claim 1 further comprising: generating a manufacturing process for said topologically optimized component design when said evaluation for manufacturability results in said topologically optimized component design being manufacturable.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: performing an aesthetics evaluation of said topologically optimized component design.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising: generating a manufacturing process for said topologically optimized component design when said topologically optimized component design passes said aesthetics evaluation.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising: performing an industrial design modification to obtain an aesthetically modified topologically optimized component design when said topologically optimized component design fails said aesthetics evaluation.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising: performing a finite element analysis (FEA) on said aesthetically modified topologically optimized component design; and performing a plurality of iterations through said industrial design modification and said FEA until an acceptable aesthetically modified topologically optimized component design is achieved.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising: generating a manufacturing process for said aesthetically modified topologically optimized component design.

Assignees

• Fox Factory Inc

Inventors

• Coaplen Joshua
• Allinger Wesley E
• Mccormick Daniel
• Hammerstrom Paul

Classifications

• G06F2111/06

  Multi-objective optimisation, e.g. Pareto optimisation using simulated annealing [SA], ant colony algorithms or genetic algorithms [GA] · CPC title

• G06F30/23

  using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM] · CPC title

• G06F2119/18

  Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability · CPC title

• G06F30/17

  Mechanical parametric or variational design · CPC title

• G06F30/15 Primary

  Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design · CPC title